lowrentyieldmakessense(honest!) Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 well its a start link The English Democrats, for those not up-to-date on the centre-right fringe group scene, are a micro-party along similar political lines to UKIP, except that firstly their focus is on England rather than the UK, and secondly their collective membership could fit in a small country pub. But their man, Peter Davies, is the new mayor of Doncaster, having beaten Labour, the Tories and a Lib Dem-backed independent.This, I think, was the big seismic event of the local elections, not the Tory takeover of Lancashire. Davies campaigned on a strong social conservative platform and pulled off the biggest surprise since that man in the monkey suit was elected in Hartlepool. In fact, more so. And this report from the Yorkshire Post shows just why he won. Mr Davies, a former religious education teacher whose son Philip is the Conservative MP for Shipley, campaigned on reducing the mayor's salary from £62,000 to £30,000 and cutting the number of Doncaster councillors from 63 to 21. But his policies also include bringing in harsher punishment for "young thugs"; introducing zero-tolerance for anti-social behaviour; stopping translation services for immigrants; and scrapping "politically correct non-jobs and encouraging the former employees to seek meaningful employment". What's not to like? (Incidentally, £62,000? The leader of my council, Haringey, Doncaster's main rival for the title of Britain's worst council, is on over £166,000.) I've long thought there's a vacuum out there which a genuinely socially conservative, anti-PC, anti-mass immigration but also anti-fascist and pro-liberty party will eventually fill. A party that accepts Englishmen come in various colours but also that there must be limits to how many, and without being scared of the racism card being played. UKIP are the closest thing at the moment but they're essentially a single-issue party with a median age of about 85; I'm not sure the English Democrats are, either - their basic plan, to create an English first minister and mini-government within the UK, is effectively unworkable. It will all depend on how David Cameron's government works out. If they fail to take the lesson here and turn out to be merely Old Etonian liberals who are only "conservative" when it comes to helping the rich avoid tax, then, who knows, Doncaster could be the start of a conservative counter-cultural revolution. It sounds like the people of Doncaster just had themselves a merry old Tea Party.Good for them! The people of Doncaster have roared! There is something liberating about being mad as Hell and deciding not to take it anymore. There is also something liberating in just hearing about those who stood up and did something to change things. "Doncaster could be the start of a conservative counter-cultural revolution." Amen to that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilltop Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Somehow I cannot see the good people of Donny wanting the Right in power. They liked a cheeky, awkward sod who would give a tackety boots kicking to the established order. I like this emergence of small parties, it is good for democracy. The major lesson of the past few days and weeks is that the normally supine voters do not like whipped party machines. Just consider how few 'mavericks' (a term of abuse now) are left in Parliament. Denis Skinner hardly wakes up now, Saint Vince has got lucky when usually he is wide of the mark, there are just so few individual voices to be listened to. I also like the £30,000 cap. It is still an appreciable amount of money. How about applying the same cap to all pension entitlements? It would be a very good retirement income and high earners (who also actuarily live longer) could still put money aside for their retirement, just not with such a large public subsidy. Pensions sorted, vote hilltop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrentyieldmakessense(honest!) Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 Somehow I cannot see the good people of Donny wanting the Right in power. They liked a cheeky, awkward sod who would give a tackety boots kicking to the established order.I like this emergence of small parties, it is good for democracy. The major lesson of the past few days and weeks is that the normally supine voters do not like whipped party machines. Just consider how few 'mavericks' (a term of abuse now) are left in Parliament. Denis Skinner hardly wakes up now, Saint Vince has got lucky when usually he is wide of the mark, there are just so few individual voices to be listened to. I also like the £30,000 cap. It is still an appreciable amount of money. How about applying the same cap to all pension entitlements? It would be a very good retirement income and high earners (who also actuarily live longer) could still put money aside for their retirement, just not with such a large public subsidy. Pensions sorted, vote hilltop. he was the only candidate who said he will save tax payers money - all the others want to spend it on their preferred cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AteMoose Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Doncaster at the forefront of HIV infections http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/141054.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayo Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Limited government AND an English Parliament? Doncaster already has by my reckoning - councillors, an elected Mayor, a Civic Mayor and Mayoress, various town / parish councils, 2 MPs, and a share of the North East MEPs, not to mention NATO and the WTO. Enough already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearback Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I think the English Democrats are quite a new party. I think they are funded and run by left wingers whose aim is to steal votes off the BNP so therefore divide the right wing vote. I have no evidence of this, it is just something I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InternationalRockSuperstar Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 well its a startlink did you vote for them? (just noticed on GEI's The Livestock & Home produce thread that you yourself are in Doncaster) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrentyieldmakessense(honest!) Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) did you vote for them?(just noticed on GEI's The Livestock & Home produce thread that you yourself are in Doncaster) yep for the simple reason that he was the only one out of all the candidates that stated he would reduce local non-jobs and reduce council tax if the uk libertarian party ever got their act together id vote for them - dont know what they are doing after their launch in 2007 Edited June 7, 2009 by lowrentyieldmakessense(honest!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrentyieldmakessense(honest!) Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Talking Tax, Talking CutsThis week TPA Chief Executive Matthew Elliott met Doncaster's new Mayor Peter Davies. A breath of fresh air to taxpayers in his home city, and the envy of overburdened taxpayers across the country, Mr. Davies has pledged to save taxpayers' money wherever he can, has cut his own pay, untwinned his town and asked for any suggestions to cut the widescale waste that plagues so many councils around the country. Aware of the TPA's in-depth knowledge of local government waste and how it can be eradicated, Mr. Davies invited Matthew to put forward 5 years' worth of hard-hitting policy ideas and ways to cut spending and increase efficiency to see how he could apply them to his new ward. Our ideas on transparency and accountability have been adopted with great success by other councils, including Windsor and Maidenhead, who now have a policy of disclosing any council expenditure over £500. The discussion was constructive and will hopefully bear fruit by saving taxpayers in Doncaster from future crippling tax rises. Watch this space... tax decreases in Donny - up everywhere else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wires 74 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) I think the English Democrats are quite a new party. I think they are funded and run by left wingers whose aim is to steal votes off the BNP so therefore divide the right wing vote. I have no evidence of this, it is just something I believe. And your evidence for this is what exactly - one of my main irritations with the BNP ( one of many granted ) is the way in which they have been allowed to hijack right-wing debate in this country leaving those of us who might want to see reduced immigration etc , etc without a party to vote for unless we wish to tie ourselves to a load of holocaust denying , neo-nazi thugs . Hopefully the emergence of partys like the English Democrats might start to address that problem . Edited September 7, 2009 by Wires 74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Als Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I like this emergence of small parties, it is good for democracy. The major lesson of the past few days and weeks is that the normally supine voters do not like whipped party machines. Just consider how few 'mavericks' (a term of abuse now) are left in Parliament. Denis Skinner hardly wakes up now, Saint Vince has got lucky when usually he is wide of the mark, there are just so few individual voices to be listened to. The other day I did a little search and found that the Pirate Party now have a presence in the UK. http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1929crash Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I think the vote in Doncaster was an anti-Labour vote as much as anything else. If the voters ever got wind of the fact that the libertarian mindset would abolish the NHS most people would run a mile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrentyieldmakessense(honest!) Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 I think the vote in Doncaster was an anti-Labour vote as much as anything else. If the voters ever got wind of the fact that the libertarian mindset would abolish the NHS most people would run a mile. not if they thought about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1929crash Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 not if they thought about it And realised they might have to choose between paying the mortgage and paying for their cancer treatment? Not a chance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrentyieldmakessense(honest!) Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 And realised they might have to choose between paying the mortgage and paying for their cancer treatment? Not a chance! NHS good at fighting cancer are they Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPC001 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 NHS good at fighting cancer are they Indeed. Lop something off, or use pharmaceuticals. Actually, isn't that their treatment for everything these days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1929crash Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 NHS good at fighting cancer are they So what will you do if diagnosed with a serious illness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snugglybear Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 NHS good at fighting cancer are they My brother was diagnosed with bladder cancer a couple of years ago, the very cancer that killed my brother-in-law's father-in-law (husband's brother's wife's father) in his fifties no many years previously. He was given chemotherapy, on the NHS, and then when that didn't work, the relatively new BCG therapy, which did. Since then he has been checked regularly, at first every six months, then every year, and the cancer has not returned. He now has the same statistical chance of contracting bladder cancer as a man who has never had it. My brother, I should add, is still working and still paying taxes. Ditto a friend who had thyroid cancer and another who had to go to the excellent centre at Leeds for treatment for prostate cancer. Still alive and looking after their families. So yes, actually, the NHS is quite good at treating cancer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tbatst2000 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I'd like to know the following: 1. why is anyone who criticizes the NHS assumed to want an end to universal healthcare free-ish at the point of delivery? 2. why would anyone who'd looked at systems that don't provide universal healthcare free-ish at the point of delivery want one for their own country? Following on from that, I suppose I'd also like to know why it's not possible to have a rational debate about how the NHS might be changed so as to continue to provide free healthcare to everyone but to do it without at least some of the more obvious insanities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debt_scared Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 So what will you do if diagnosed with a serious illness? With the money saved in lower taxes, you could purchase health insurance. Or you could save it and have a slush fund for emergencies like this. Or appeal to a charity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPC001 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I'd like to know the following:1. why is anyone who criticizes the NHS assumed to want an end to universal healthcare free-ish at the point of delivery? 2. why would anyone who'd looked at systems that don't provide universal healthcare free-ish at the point of delivery want one for their own country? Following on from that, I suppose I'd also like to know why it's not possible to have a rational debate about how the NHS might be changed so as to continue to provide free healthcare to everyone but to do it without at least some of the more obvious insanities. If it wasn't a piggyback for private monopolies and excessive intervention... perhaps an insurance based scheme with clearly defined cover would work better? Use that as a ringfenced fund in each local district. No more centralisation. Let people vote with their feet - there should be an opt-out. The providers are basically private already in a lot of cases, but we're funding them with taxes rather than transparent pricing or policies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tbatst2000 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 With the money saved in lower taxes, you could purchase health insurance. Except that the evidence suggests that unregulated healthcare provided via insurance costs a lot more than the equivalent service provided by taxes. Or you could save it and have a slush fund for emergencies like this. If you earn millions, then maybe, otherwise not a lot of point. A full course of cancer treatment can easily comes to 100s of thousands of pounds. Or appeal to a charity. Nice, that's where laissez faire capitalism and me part company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tbatst2000 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 If it wasn't a piggyback for private monopolies and excessive intervention... perhaps an insurance based scheme with clearly defined cover would work better? Use that as a ringfenced fund in each local district. No more centralisation. Let people vote with their feet - there should be an opt-out. The providers are basically private already in a lot of cases, but we're funding them with taxes rather than transparent pricing or policies. Isn't that more or less what the Irish have? IIRC, people earning under a certain amount get cover free, everyone else is required by law to buy cover. I'm not sure how many insurers there are involved though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPC001 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) Isn't that more or less what the Irish have? IIRC, people earning under a certain amount get cover free, everyone else is required by law to buy cover. I'm not sure how many insurers there are involved though. This would require abolishment of welfare to work properly, and like I said, there should be an opt out. I would have to chance it myself, so I am prepared to put my (non-existent) money where my mouth is. I seem to have managed just fine in the last 5-6 years... Edited September 7, 2009 by HPC001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrentyieldmakessense(honest!) Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 So what will you do if diagnosed with a serious illness? the last time we had a serious illness in the family it was me that suggested what it was (after doing my own research) despite the fact numerous doctors had been seen still lots of doctors do well out of the drug industry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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